London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 31, 2025

Piers Morgan calls for joggers on high streets to be BANNED as he hosts panel on masking-up exercisers

Piers Morgan calls for joggers on high streets to be BANNED as he hosts panel on masking-up exercisers

ITV’s Good Morning Britain has attempted to guilt runners into masking up, hosting a professor who called joggers a hazard for dog-walking old ladies as host Piers Morgan groused they spoiled his strolls. It wasn’t well-received.

“The puffing and panting jogger” is a public menace, Oxford University professor Trish Greenhalgh warned the audience in Tuesday’s episode of the programme. She urged runners to wear masks outdoors lest they unknowingly be spreading the virus.

“There’s no doubt the virus is in the air, there’s no doubt that you can catch it if you inhale air that someone else has exhaled,” Greenhalgh continued, suggesting that one can actually feel oneself inhaling the exhaled breath of a rogue jogger even from two meters away.


“You’re jogging along, you think you’re fine, and then the next day you’ve developed symptoms of Covid. But you’ve actually breathed that Covid onto someone, perhaps an old lady walking her dog or something like that,” Greenhalgh explained, shaming those benighted Brits who thought they were just out having a run.

Greenhalgh did concede that “wet soggy masks are not a good idea,” but suggested that doesn’t excuse the joggers from wearing and washing them.

Host Piers Morgan, always one of the loudest voices to praise lockdowns, masks, and other social controls still hanging around a year after “two weeks to flatten the curve,” found runners on the high street to be more of an aesthetic issue.

“There’s something so narcissistic about these people… running… especially if they’re not very fit,” Morgan sneered, apparently missing the point of exercise. Running down the high street was “the ultimate nonsense show-off gorilla-beating,” he continued as former Labour Party deputy leader Tom Watson defended the practice.

Morgan was unswayed, however. “I would make it illegal for joggers to run along high streets,” he declared, egging himself on, before conceding that “they can do it slowly if they wear the mask.” He did not elaborate on who would have the vitally important duty of clocking runners’ speed.

The discussion polarized social media users, with many pointing out that runners, cyclists, and other outdoor exercisers seldom hung around long enough to breathe their germs onto passersby.

Some suggested the problem was the other way around, blaming sidewalk-hogging walkers.




Others raised an eyebrow at how one might differentiate between a “jogger” and a “fast walker,” suggesting the rules were deliberately absurd and that the “experts” cited had never actually tried “running or exercising with a restrictive piece of cloth over your face.”



A few pointed out that wearing masks while running had been declared harmful by the World Health Organization and that even the UK’s deputy chief medical officer had said – back in April – that masks were no good “for general wearing.” Others cited a handful of disturbing stories from China last year that saw multiple schoolchildren and a young man die while exercising with masks on, or warned the show’s claims would discourage exercise itself.



However, plenty were eager to see joggers punished.



Morgan’s dream of arresting unmasked joggers is already a reality elsewhere. Last week, a South African jogger was arrested, fined, fingerprinted, and required to sign an “admission of guilt” for not masking up in public. While the government has mandated face coverings outdoors, the rules include an exception for anyone engaged in “vigorous exercise” in a public space as long as they’re keeping 1.5 meters’ distance from others.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×